Westmoreland category, Page 103
Incumbent Jill Cooper retains seat in Westmoreland state House race
With 100% of precincts reporting, incumbent Republican Jill Cooper will retain her seat in the state House. With more than 38,000 votes cast, Cooper beat out Democratic challenger Davon Magwood, 67% to 32%, in the 55th District race in northern Westmoreland County. “I’m grateful for the trust that people have...
Incumbent Leslie Rossi retains seat in Westmoreland state House race
Garnering nearly 70% of the vote, Republican state Rep. Leslie Rossi will keep her seat representing Pennsylvania’s 59th District, according to unofficial election results. With all of the district’s precincts reporting, Rossi, a Unity Republican who has served in the state House since May 2021, collected 69.68% of the votes...
Reschenthaler heads to landslide win to retain U.S. House seat
Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler is expected to win a fourth term in Congress as vote totals continued to be tallied Tuesday night. According to unofficial results from the district’s five counties, as of 10 p.m., Reschenthaler had received 64% of the vote with Democratic challenger Chris Dziados receiving...
Westmoreland mail-in vote numbers down from 2020
There were fewer people voting by mail this year in Westmoreland County, compared to the last presidential election. Westmoreland elections bureau Director Greg McCloskey said more than 55,100 mail-in packets were received from voters as of 8 p.m. Tuesday. There were about 59,500 mail-ins in 2020. Still, McCloskey said, because...
Prosecutors say Rostraver woman was ‘killed because she was driving too slow’ as trial opens
Holly Vadella insisted on going to her Rostraver home after ringing in 2022 with her mother. The pair spent New Year’s Eve together, along with their dogs, at Dolores Coulson’s Fayette County home. Coulson testified in Westmoreland County court Tuesday she repeatedly asked her daughter to spend the night instead...
Greensburg property owners might see 3.3% tax hike in 2025
Property owners in Greensburg might see a 3.3% real estate tax increase next year. City council is set for an initial vote next week on a proposed $13 million budget that carries a 0.9-mill property tax increase. Councilman Randy Finfrock said the increase would amount to $20 more annually for...
Taxes would jump 11.4% under proposed Mt. Pleasant budget
Mt. Pleasant council is proposing an 11.4% property tax hike but still will need to draw money from the borough’s reserve fund to help support a tentative 2025 budget of about $1.5 million. With the 2 mill hike, to 19.5 mills, the borough would plan to draw almost $9,500 from...
Toys for Tots railcars November tour adds a stop in South Greensburg
A new stop has been added for this year’s caravan of railcars that collect donations for Toys for Tots around Westmoreland County. Organizer John Gonder said the railcars will take a spur on the Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad line to stop near Huff Avenue in South Greensburg about 12:45 p.m. “It’s...
Controversial Mt. Pleasant Halloween parade entry not a hate crime, officials say
An entry in Mt. Pleasant’s annual Halloween parade that disturbed many people with an apparent depiction of Democratic Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris handcuffed and tethered to a golf cart did not rise to the legal definition of a hate crime, according to borough officials. Borough Solicitor Leslie...
Charleroi Pyrex plant closing temporarily blocked
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the closing of the Pyrex-making glassware plant in Charleroi, which the company intends to shutter in February, according to the state Attorney General’s Office. If it goes through, operations would move to Ohio and eliminate some 270 jobs in the Mon Valley. Centre Lane...
Irwin man pleads guilty but mentally ill to killing girlfriend at Monroeville hotel
An Irwin man pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Monday for killing his girlfriend at a Monroeville hotel nearly three years ago. Matthew Gribschaw, 40, will be sentenced on one count of third-degree murder by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Susan Evashavik DiLucente on Jan. 30. Police say Gribschaw killed...
Consent order updates eliminate 4M gallons of water flow during Franklin rainstorms
Just under three years ago, the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority delivered a model to state environmental officials mapping out the flow of sewage through its 330-mile system. It was among the mandatory goals in a 2019 consent order entered into by FTMSA as well as its client communities, with...
Franklin Regional opens Panther’s Den, consolidates merchandise under 1 vendor
Franklin Regional officials and Unity Printing held a grand opening Friday for The Panther’s Den, a brick-and-mortar store inside Unity’s Fancy Fox Embroidery & Silkscreen in Murrysville. The shop and its attendant website will be the exclusive home to merchandise using logos the school district created and trademarked. The school...
Hikers, bikers travel twisty new North Huntingdon trail
About 40 people went back and forth Sunday afternoon along a trail up a steep hillside in North Huntingdon’s Braddock’s Trail Park. Hikers and mountain bikers were following the painted orange trail blazed from across the parking lot of the park on Robbins Station Road and up the 1¼-mile Switchboard...
Westmoreland happenings: spaghetti dinners, kolaci sale, children’s grief program, more
Fundraisers • An Election Day spaghetti dinner will be from 4 to 7 p.m. or until sold out Nov. 5 at Asbury United Methodist Church, 20 Dunbar St., Uniontown. Menu: spaghetti, homemade meatballs. salad, bread and dessert. Cost: $12; children’s portion, $7. Dine in or takeout. Proceeds will benefit church...
Democrats once dominated Westmoreland County. Here’s how Republicans won over the region
Bill Bretz had few options to further his political interests while a senior majoring in political science at Saint Vincent College. It was 1993. He was a Republican. “My professor told me that if I wanted to do anything in politics, I would have to change my party registration,” said...
Franklin Regional Athletic Association competitive cheer team off to a hot start
The Franklin Regional Athletic Association isn’t wasting time in building on its first successful year with a cheerleading squad. This year they added a competitive cheer team, and its members just brought home a first-place finish in the 12U division at the HACC Cheer Fest, held Oct. 27 in Hempfield....
Derry Township bridge rated in ‘poor’ condition, slated for PennDOT deck repairs
A bridge that is rated in “poor” condition is scheduled for repairs next year near the northern Derry Township community of Torrance. PennDOT said plans for fixing the bridge that carries Torrance Road over McGee Run are nearing completion, with bids for the project to be let in December. According...
Westmoreland GOP leaders skip unity rally days after parade float depicted political violence
There was a unity rally planned for political party leaders in Westmoreland County Friday, but only one side came to the event. The noon observance was planned late Thursday after an entry in Mt. Pleasant’s Halloween parade this week depicted political violence. Organized by Westmoreland County Democrats and Mt. Pleasant...
Southwest Greensburg voters to consider repeal of 1-mill library tax upheld in 2022 referendum
Southwest Greensburg residents on Tuesday will decide whether 1 mill of the borough’s real estate tax will continue to help fund the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library. Southwest Greensburg Council says the roughly $15,000 generated by 1 mill of the town’s 28-mill tax can be better spent on borough needs. The...
Jeannette councilman rescinds resignation
Jeannette City Council is no longer looking for a new member. After submitting his resignation Sunday, Councilman Chad Krawtz changed his mind. He submitted a withdrawal of his resignation Wednesday, said city solicitor Tim Witt. Krawtz, 47, a Republican, said Friday he decided to stay on council. “The community support...
Fort Ligonier DAR marks site of little-known Fort Preservation
The nation’s 250th birthday is less than two years away, and the Fort Ligonier chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is ready for the major milestone. As its commitment to the America250 celebration campaign, the Ligonier-based DAR group has drawn public attention to the little-known Fort Preservation, a...
Long delayed North Irwin bridge project slated for 2025
Reconstruction of a now demolished bridge in North Irwin could begin next year after Westmoreland commissionerssigned off on a financing deal that will allocate more than $5.8 million in state funds to complete the project, which has seen little movement over the last decade. County and local officials have sought...
Police arrest man for trespassing at West Hempfield Elementary, find suspected drugs
A Lawrence County man was charged Thursday with trespassing on West Hempfield Elementary property as students were filtering into the building, according to court papers. District officials say the man had been dropped off at a nearby gas station by Pennsylvania State Police earlier that morning. Zachery T. Leonard, 30,...
Car crashes into Greensburg supermarket’s mural-adorned wall
A wall decorated with a large mural was damaged Thursday afternoon when a car crashed into the Charley Brothers Shop ‘n Save supermarket on East Pittsburgh Street in Greensburg. The woman driving the car was checked out by medics and did not require treatment, according to Greensburg fire Chief Tom...
